President of Indiana Young Democrats
From the Desk of Sam Locke:
About a year ago, I decided I would not be a candidate for United States Congress in Indiana’s 9th Congressional District. The last year has been filled with an incredible amount of awe watching my daughter grow, speak her first words and take her first steps. It has also been a year of personal growth and self reflection – focusing in on the elements of politics and our Party that matter most to me.
In walking away from the race, I was only worried about one thing – that there would be no one to stand up for the progressive causes important to me and critical to our identity as Democrats. Friends, I am worried no more. Ninth District Democrats have an amazing candidate in Shelli Yoder.
From our first interaction, Shelli’s personal story, her love for Indiana and her commitment to tackling issues many candidates overlook convinced me she was the best candidate to face-off against Todd Young. In addition to her relentlessly pro-worker and pro-family message, Shelli is the only candidate in the Democratic Primary who has consistently and boldly spoken about progressive issues of peace, gender equality, and social justice – and yet she has an undeniable mainstream appeal. Perhaps because she was raised in a small Indiana town of 500 people, she connects immediately with Hoosiers in rural parts of our district. Having lived in Fort Wayne, South Bend, Nashville (TN), and now Bloomington, Shelli is equally at ease with our neighbors in the urban areas. Shelli connects because she understands the challenges facing middle class families struggling to create a better future for their family, and she has spent the last 15 years of her professional career working to help hurting individuals get back on the right track.
On top of this and, contrary to rhetoric otherwise, Shelli is the only candidate in the Primary who can beat Todd Young in November. We have never defeated dogma with vanilla and we have never trumped arrogance and radicalism with canned talking points. Shelli’s strengths are clear: despite a late entry into the race, her fundraising and organizing abilities are unmatched. She is the only candidate who has a natural advantage appealing to the voter blocks who will determine the outcome of this race in November: young adults and suburban women. Most important, she is the only candidate unabashed in her support of progressive causes central to our economic recovery and the protection of our individual liberties.
For these reasons and more, I hope you will join me in supporting Shelli Yoder for Congress. Let’s work together and defeat Todd Young this November!
Democratically yours,
Sam Locke
President, Indiana Young Democrats
Sam Locke
